MOEMS Founder
Executive Director (1978 – 1995)
In 1955 he created the Nassau County (NY) Interscholastic Mathematics League (NCIML) for high school students, perhaps America’s first regional math contest outside of New York City run by the schools themselves. Five years later, he created a similar junior high school league for Nassau County. His article in the Mathematics Teacher (NCTM, February 1959) on the NCIML sparked the formation of similar leagues by many county and state math organizations across the nation. In 1970 he became Director of Mathematics for the Valley Stream School District, working with elementary schools for the first time. His inservice course, The Art of Problem Solving in School Mathematics, meant for Valley Stream teachers, eventually became a book for Houghton Mifflin, one of many books and articles that he authored or co-authored for major academic publishers. A master teacher, his students include several prominent mathematics educators and his workshops have inspired people on four continents to participate in the Math Olympiads.
Among his honors are: National Science Foundation Fellow; HEW Department Fellow; Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award, NYS Society of Professional Engineers; Distinguished Secondary School Teaching Award, Harvard University; Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Educational Journalism, EPA of America; Founder’s Award for Outstanding Service, NCIML; LIMACON Award for Outstanding Contributions to Mathematics Education, Long Island Mathematics Conference; Goudreau Award for Outstanding Contributions to Mathematics Education, Goudreau Museum of Mathematics and Science.